Holloman could get a biomass facility

Holloman Air Force Base will be possibly the site of a biomass-fueled power plant on base.

Air Force officials have signed an agreement with New Generation Biomass that will allow the company limited access to about 80 acres of base property, according to a press release issued by HAFB.

"We are just kind of looking into the possibility right now of developing a bio-mass plant out here at Holloman," 1st Lt. Stephanie Schonberger said Thursday. "Nothing is final. Nothing has been built yet."

The company will determine the land's suitability for the proposed Black Bear Biomass Energy Facility. The as-of-yet-unbuilt plant would add about 20 megawatts of power to the El Paso Electric Grid, the company from which Holloman purchases its power, according to HAFB.

Schonberger said biomass uses wood waste from things like wood chips from logging operations and trees damaged in forest fires and converts it into energy.

She said biomass is a renewable form of energy.

"They are examining a site on Holloman that might be used for this," she said. "If it is feasiblethat it's something that's going to be efficient and economically workable for everyone involvedit would result in an 'enhanced use lease.'"

Schonberger said an EUL is a "relatively new" concept within the Air Force, a process which allows it to lease property to private contractors.

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center, in San Antonio, Texas, manages the enhanced use lease program, and is partnering with HAFB to develop the project.

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Air force officials say they are working with New Generation Biomass to review any possible effects of the plant, including environmental effects, energy benefits and long-term sustainability."

New Generation Biomass, a Chicago-based company, couldn't be immediately reached for comment Thursday, but it has 15 projects in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Mississippi, as well as others in the Grand Cayman Islands, Serbia and Turkey, according to its website.

Schonberger said that nothing is final with regard to the project.

"There is still a lot of analysis to be done," Schonberger said. "There will be community input and community involvement throughout the process."

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